“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulations, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

1) Who is speaking in this passage?
This passage in John is one of the most poignant moments in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus is speaking to His disciples just hours before He is to be crucified, and in those moments, He is preparing them for His death, resurrection, and return to the Father. This “speech” starts back in John 13 and continues through John 17.

2) What “things” are Jesus referring to in this passage?
When reading one particular passage or one verse out of the context of a larger chapter we come across words like “these things” and have no idea what the author is talking about because we haven’t read the verses before or after to understand the entire context of the passage. In this case, “these things” refers back to the previous statements that Jesus has made to the disciples in chapter sixteen. He is referring back and telling the disciples, in light of everything I just told you remember “I have overcome the world.”

3) What does the word “overcome” mean?
The word “overcome” in English packs a punch that gives hope and direction for the way we are to live our life. When studying scripture, it is interesting and valuable to see what the original intent of the author was by looking at Greek, the original language of the New Testament. The word overcome in this passage means: 1) to conquer, 2) to carry off the victory, 3) in reference to Christ specifically, to have victory over all His foes, and 4) for the Christian believer particularly, to hold fast to their faith despite persecution, loss, and even death. Thats a lot of hope for one little word!

1) Who is speaking in this passage?
Jesus, in the moments before His arrest which would lead to His death, is speaking with deep intimacy and encouraging truths to His closest followers. He isn’t worried about what is to come, rather His focus in these last hours is to pour truth into the future leaders of the New Testament church.  He wants them to trust the Father who, from the beginning of time, knew this was the plan. Jesus is living out His adoration for the Father by being obedient, but also displaying His adoration for His followers by preparing them for what is about to happen.

2) What “things” are Jesus referring to in this passage?
What are some of “these things” that Jesus has told them? John 16:22, “…you have grief now; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. John 15: 17, 19 “…love one another……because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” John 16:13, “But, when He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you…” These are just a few of the things that Christ has told them before He gets to John 16:33. He is summarizing everything He has taught them and shown them through His three years of ministry. Jesus knows His disciples intimately and He knows they need to “see clearly” so that after He leaves, they will become His gospel on display. Fast forward to 2016 and as we read these timely words, we can have hope because the same truths that Jesus spoke 2,000 years ago have the same impact and apply to us as followers today! Challenge yourself to read John 13-17 to get a fuller grasp on “these things”.

3) What significance does the word “overcome” have for my everyday life?
“…take courage, I have overcome the world.” We know how the story ends because scripture tells us that Jesus will once and for all defeat the enemies of this world. He conquered death and sin. In 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 Paul says, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Victory comes from knowing, adoring, and trusting the one true God. He is in control and no matter what we see around us or how we feel about the situation, the Truth remains! We will have tribulations until Christ returns, but we can have peace in knowing that He has overcome and He empowers us through the Spirit to live in these truths day in and day out!

Don’t miss today’s other Journey Study, In The Midst Of Chaos
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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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